After a hugely successful initial Kickstarter campaign, securing the funds needed to complete the Gothic horror, the filmmakers have launched a follow-up drive to add a brand new supernatural battle to the feature.

The team at Hex Studios are looking for £5000 ($6700) to shoot the nightmarish scene, featuring phantom horsemen and soldiers in a ghostly chase, to be shot in their native Scotland.

The film tells the story of antiques expert Brendan Cole who is sent to authenticate a 300-year-old clockwork doll with a notorious history, known as 'The Infernal Princess'. In the remote Scottish mansion where it has been discovered, Brendan soon finds himself the victim of the automaton's legendary curse.

Backers of the stretch campaign have the opportunity to serve as soldiers in an 18th century-set battle sequence by pledging for the Private, Flag Bearer or Officer rank rewards. Also on offer are Collector's Edition copies of the film, T-Shirts, posters, books, and even a limited edition Owlman plush toy. So, if you missed their campaign the first time round, now's your chance to get in on the action!

Director Lawrie Brewster says: “We were absolutely blown away by the success of our original campaign. The support for the project from horror fans has been incredible, and it didn't stop when the campaign ended. We were inundated with messages from fans who still wanted to pledge, so we launched this stretch campaign, which gives folk another chance to grab the rewards on offer, and gives us the opportunity to add extra scenes to the film, making it even more epic!”

'Automata' is an international co-production between Hex Studios and partners Dark Dunes Productions, in association with Needle's Eye Productions and 7 Toes Productions, and Executive Producers Sultan Saeed Al Darmaki, Charles Stiefel, Nick Ford, Greg Orsi, Bill Eikost and Richard Pate. The film is slated for release in December 2018.